What's in a Name? By Marti Ronemus

In bridge, many conventions are named for the person who first developed and popularized them. Simple enough, right?

In the business world, the original names aren't always the ones that stick. Some outstanding examples: Google was originally named "Backrub." Really? Pepsi was "Brad's Drink." Nike, "Blue Ribbon Sports." Best Buy at first was "Sound of Music." I wonder if there was a copyright problem with that. Playboy was "Stag Party" and Snapple was "Unadulterated Food Products." Just doesn't have the same ring.

My favorite, though, is the original (and prescient!) name of Amazon... "Relentless."

And so on to our "relentless" attempts to improve our bidding. We've got an interesting potpourri of hands, guaranteed to stimulate discussion. Have fun.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ Q 10 9 8 6 5
♥ 8 7 4
♦ A 9 4
♣ J

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1 No-trump	2♣*
?

*Natural

A: 2♥: Give yourself credit for almost any answer except probably Double. Do you play "systems on" over interference? In that case, 2♥, transferring Pard to Spades is just the ticket. You'll bid game (oh yes you will!!!) on your next bid. Do you play Texas Transfers? Then you'll bid 4♥. Do you play "systems off?" Then you'd probably just bid 4♠ on your own. Talk to Pard. Agree on a name.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ A 10 4
♥ A Q J 9 4 3
♦ K 7
♣ A 4

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♥	1♠	2♠*	P
?

*Limit raise or better, with a trump fit

A: 4 No-trump: Pard's bid is every thing you could have asked for: a fit and at least 10 pts. We have first- or second-round control of all four suits. Let's find out what he's got for us.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ A Q 7 6
♥ A 7 3
♦ Q 3 2
♣ A K Q

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	2♦	p
?

A: 3 No-trump: Fairly easy. We've got such a nice hand, not only robust points, but three Diamonds. When depending on the Crummy Dummy to produce tricks, it's nice to have three shots at reaching it.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ K 8 7
♥ K 7
♦ K 8 7 3
♣ Q J 8 6

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♣
p	p	1 No-trump	p
?

A: 2 No-trump: Pard bid No-trump in the balancing seat, which means he's got 12-14 pt. In the balancing seat, Pard "steals" 3 pts from us. When we respond, we need to subtract 3 points. We're on the edge between bidding 2 No-trump and 3 No-trump. If you liked your Clubs (East's bid suit) enough, you can upgrade to 3 No-trump and give yourself credit.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ K Q J 4
♥ A 8 7 4
♦ A J 9 5
♣ Q

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	p	2♠*
?

*Weak Jump Shift, promising a hand with a six-card suit, and so few points he couldn't bid 1♠. We're talking weak here.

A: 2 No-trump: Pre-emptive bids do their jobs. We can't just give up. East is terribly weak so Pard is rated to have something. Let's give it a try. If we pass, we can be forgiven, but we'd rather be in the auction.

We're warmed up for our hand now.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Play this Hand

Now that you've bid five hands, let's see how your play goes.

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Overall Results

Your results: out of Average:

What next? You may enjoy playing our prepared hands series.
More informations on our website: www.VuBridge.com

Rate yourself:

0 - 40%	We applaud your effort. Review the subject and try again. You'll be surprised how much better you'll do. We're here for you!!
41 - 50%	Buy your mentor a cuppa and ask for clarification on the ones you got wrong. No mentor? Make finding one a priority!
51 - 60%	Nice improvement! One more review and you'll have this down solid!
61 - 80%	What a good job! All that's left is some fine tuning
Over 80%	Wow! It's time for you to become a mentor. Find someone who needs help and share your knowledge!